New York's Largest Grocery Workers Union: Stop Fast Tracking TPP

WESTBURY, NY (05/22/2015)(readMedia)-- United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1500, today released the following statement about the U.S. Congress pushing to fast track the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

"It is hard to see how this trade deal benefits people in New York because none of us are allowed to look at it. If our elected leaders truly believe that fast tracking TPP is the right thing to do, then they should prove it by making the contents of this secret trade deal public.

"Trusting that this agreement will benefit hard-working families is difficult because past deals have failed all of us. Fast track trade deals are always sold with the promise of bringing prosperity to the masses and that promise has continuously been broken.

"What little we do know about the TPP is troubling because it seems to follow this same, failed trade path that has brought so much devastation to so many people.

"It will roll back regulations that could be construed as a "barrier to trade," which includes environmental, consumer, and labor protections. It will empower big pharmaceutical companies to raise the prices of life-saving medicines. Worst of all, it will give corporations an incentive to lower wages and ship jobs overseas.

"Every vote this trade deal gets will be cast by a Member of Congress who has no clear idea what's in it or the full impact that it will have upon our country. With that great risk in mind, we are calling on every member of the New York Congressional delegation to do what is right for hard-working families and refuse to support fast tracking TPP."

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Join the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1500 online at ufcw1500.org.

We are over 23,000 workers standing together to build an economy that every hard-working family in New York deserves.